dawn's knitting

January 29, 2014

I was a winner in last year's NaKniMitMo, and won this lovely kit from Nordic Fiber Arts. I've waited until this year's NaKniMitMo before starting these, well worth the wait, and a quick knit too.

I've had to take an indoor photo - missed the opportunity to take one on Saturday, when we had actual sunshine. Oh well. I've also failed in the blocking stage, toom, buy it means you can see the side pattern! I've been wearing them this week, our weather's been a bit chilly.

The yarn is Rauma 3ply Strikkegarn and is wonderful for mittens. quite a sturdy little yarn.

Well, no more mittens knitted this month. I had a Mystery Mitten on the go, but kept dithering about the yarn choices, and making so many mistakes I cut the yarn and pulled them off the needles! So I'm back to just three WIPS - Babette, Kraka and the MKAL Follow my Arrow. Will I last?????

January 20, 2014

My mitten nitting for NaKniMitMo is progressing. Not quickly, but I reckon that I'll be able to knit three pairs this month. Still waiting for #1 pair to dry, the Myrten Mittens.

The first mitten for pair #2 is finished. I started the decreases three rows earlier, as I thought that they'd be too long. Not. I should have put the thumb stitches on a needle and tried them on properly! I think I'll leave them as is, as the edns are darned. in. Love the thumb!

Needless to say that they need a bit of blocking.

And I've started a third pair! These ones are a MKAL in the I Love Mittens ravelry group. I bought the pattern, but abandoned them on my first attempt. I've since looked at spoilers and restarted them this weekend. Just the cuffs done so far.

Finally, a non mitten project. This is another MKAL, this time a shawl. It's Ysolda's Follow your Arrow shawl. Each of the five clues has two options, so there's 32 variations.

Clue 1, option B, The colours aren't as contrasting as they seem to be in the photo.

January 17, 2014

I've finished the first pair of mittens (I need to wash them and get photos, please wish for a dry and bright day!) and I'm onto my second pair now. They're the Nordasno Mittens, a prize from last year's NaKniMitMo!

It's a kit, and I must say, I really like this Rauma 3ply Strikkegarn, it's great for stranded mittens. I opted for black mitten with white foreground, and I'm pleased with the results so far. It's quite a sturdy yarn and as it's about dk weight, means that the mittens should be fairly quick to knit. This is my progress in two work-day evenings, with not a lot of knitting time.

Back of hand

Palm of the hand

Can you see that it has a sort of thumb gusset? But no stitches on hold as you'd usually have, with a lesser number for the hand. I don't htink it's going to make much difference though.

August 05, 2013

I've had a very unproductive weekend, knitting-wise. I've cast on three things but barely made any progress. Can't even use the excuse that they're difficult, they're all very easy!

We have:

The start of some Serpentine mitts, in Yarn Yard's SSS6 (which is SPARKLY, despite the photo not showing any sign of aparkle), These fit nicely into my Sigma13 and Sizzling Summer basket.

Very easy 2x2 ribbing, to start with.

Socks for Mr's C in Opal Smokey Eyes or similar

Again, very easy, just ribbing. These are the reason why I have no knitting progress, as I've spent most of Sunday trying to unpick the huge tangle which is Opal sock yarn. Tonight I'm going to have to cut it as I don't want another frustrating night of knots. I really ought to have learnt by now to wind up Opal sock yarn before starting to knit as I always get it tangled up.

Crossroads hat, from thr Project a Month ravelry group. I could get hat and cowl, but I'm going to see if I have time before downloading the cowl. This is a donated pattern for the month, and I only participate if I know I'll knit the pattern, I'm using up half balls of Rowan wool cotton, in a dark blue and a pale green (which looks white on my screen...)

May 20, 2013

Yarn: Yarn Yard;s SSS2 yarn. I'm falling behind, this is the February yarn!

A quick, easy knit. I completely messed up the narrow pattern panel though! The amoujtn of time I spent dropping and reknitting stitches, and still managed to have a loose stitch sticking out when I'd finished! I had to go back in and try to catch it and somehow secure it. Bah! Good job these are mine!

This is the yarn from last month's frogged Mystery cowl, much better uese of it with these mitts.

April 07, 2013

Yarn: EKM in a green/blue colour, about .16 skeins and an unknown red, about .2 skeins (I think this might be a Yarn Yard merino)

Loved knitting these. I knitted one less heart repeat, plenty long for me. I also knitted the 1x1 ribbing as a twisted ribbing, seems to be a phase I'm going through as all of my socks are like this at the moment too!

Love the thumb gussets. There's an option of knitting initials in place of the hearts (or anything you want which would fit in that space) but I like the hearts.

Love the way you decrease for the thumb and finger cuffs, for a tidier fit.

March 25, 2013

I really tried to get a proper photo yesterday, but the wind was too cold and there was a dusting of snow on the grass, which messes with the exposure. I'm hoping that over Easter we will have at least one day when I can get outdoors and take a photo of the scarf. Even one morning this week before work!

This is also finished, my Groovyghan!

That's the indoor-by-the-window shot. I have darned in ALL ends, and finished the border, which has taken me just as long, it seems, as the blanket itself. More to do with dithering and not knowing what I wanted to do. In the end I went for bobbles. Started with a foundation round of dc to even things up and get an idea of stitch count, then alternated bobble round with treble round, ending on a treble round. Changed colour, did another foundation round of dc before doing Attic24's bobble shell edging, which I really like - expect this on other non balnket htings in the future!

So the bubbles and bobbles are done. Leaving me with a pair of boring socks (which I MUST finish) and nothing else on the needles.

Time to cast on

The hearts are more red than pink I think (must check in daylight) and the background is a sea green or possibly a greeny turquoise. I've never been any good at colour names. Unfortunately I've done it again, wound up the yarn and lost the labels. I think the background is EKL but not sure of the red, think it might be a Yarn Yard merino. I used to stuff the labels in my knitting bag, but ended up with so many that I stopped doing this.

I may cast on something else this week if I get bored. Wiht the weather so arctic I won't feel unseasonal knitting more woolly accessories.

March 06, 2013

This is a very quick knit, once you get started. This is the pattern I tried a few weeks previously. with lots of frogging and reknitting. I spent as much time failing to knit these first time around as I did the second time around! They're plain with some ribbing extending from the outer side of the hand towards the index finger, similar to the Herbivore pattern. It's not as obvious here but they;re slightly longer at the little finger than the index finger (the pattern causes this to happen), a quirky feature.

February 08, 2013

I missed NaKniMitMo by two days! My own fault, spent far too long on crochet, and kept making the most idiotic mistakes, having to pick up dropped stitches, or stitches knitted together. On the back, I might add, the very simplest pattern! I blame knitting on these in the late evening, when I was too tired to actually knit. They're for me so I don't mind!

I'm having a little break from mittens now, will concentrate on the crochet and my double knit bubbles scarf over the weekend. I have started a few new nrojects though, just little ones. Some mitten decorations (!) and some fingerless gloves. Need to get a bit more done on these befoer they are blogworthy (i.e. in case they are tipped!)